Recarnation 3
by Shizuka Kaze
Summary: Scarlet Yue (Serenity) is traveling through West Virginia with her protectors (Shittenou) when she's captured by four warriors (Senshi) and presented to 'The Phantom in Black'... SenshiShittenou, UM
1. The Beginning

Recarnation 3  
  
Chapter 1  
  
_________  
  
Disclaimer: I did not make  
  
up the Sailor Senshi, yada  
  
yada. You know the drill,  
  
I don't have to waste my time  
  
writing this.  
  
Okay, this is the third part  
  
of recarnation. Since I took  
  
U.S. History AP last year, some  
  
of the facts of the Civil War  
  
might be little off. Bear  
  
with me, I'm about to have  
  
a nervous breakdown. Too  
  
much work, to much studying,  
  
too much school.  
  
Character Profile:  
  
Scarlet Yue - Serenity  
  
Matthew Yan - Endymion  
  
Keith - Kunzite  
  
Melinda - Minako (Sunshine - Aphrodite)  
  
Jared - Jadeite  
  
Rachel - Rei (Firefly - Eris )  
  
Zachary - Zoicite   
  
Anna - Ami (Waterlily - Athena)  
  
Nathan - Nephrite  
  
Michelle - Makoto (Thunderbird - Hera)  
  
____________  
  
Recarnation 3  
  
Chapter1  
  
Part 3, West Virginia, 1863, One month before the burning of Atlanta  
  
________________________  
  
"Jared?"   
  
A littering voice spoke from behind the swishing curtains of the carriage.   
  
"Yes, Scarlet?" The young soldier driving the carriage turned half around,   
  
one eye on the carriage and the other on the road.   
  
"Where are we right now?"  
  
"West Virginia."   
  
A stiffening silence descended upon the group as Jared's answer sunk. West   
  
Virginia, which tore itself somewhat illegally from Virginia the year before, was   
  
filled with poor white trash. And anyone with half a functioning brain cell would   
  
realize, from the carriage's elaborate exterior design, that Scarlet's family was   
  
wealthy and would pay any unholy amount of sum to have her back, sound and safe.   
  
  
  
The young, silver-haired man riding on the right of the carriage ran a hand   
  
through his hair as his cold, gunmetal grey eyes suspiciously scanned the surroundings.   
  
They were passing through a narrow stretch of land, enclosed by hills that created   
  
excellent places for ambushes, which he, as a hardened soldier, knew well.  
  
  
  
It was truly an odd picture that these people presented. One beautiful noble   
  
lady, traveling with four young, extremely handsome men. Would one not think that this   
  
lady's elders had better sense than letting her alone all these men? But Scarlet's   
  
parents were long dead, and she lived with her dear uncle, who trusted these soldiers   
  
with his whole heart and soul.  
  
  
  
A strawberry-haired young man with surprisingly feminine features rode on   
  
the carriage's left. His leaf-green eyes were sharp, his soft appearance belying his   
  
steel-hard intelligence. His hand absently stroked the holster of his gun, opting for   
  
a bored expression, while in reality he was intently calculating the angles of attacks,   
  
and estimating the position and speed they would need to defend themselves. Zachary,   
  
or Zach, was the strategist of their group, the man who was good who drew up the battle   
  
plans when he had time, but in surprise attacks, he, like everyone else, relied on   
  
Keith's military expertise. Little did he know how useful his thoughts would prove to be.   
  
At the same time, the soldier with the long, chocolate colored hair and eyes was   
  
riding behind them, keeping off any surprise attacks from behind. There was nothing   
  
to be nervous about, nothing he could see or hear, anyway, but he could not shake of   
  
the feeling of foreboding. He had been meditating, asking the stars the night before,   
  
and they had promised that their lives would be changed forever by today's events.   
  
Of course, since they were so mysterious, whether did would be changing for the good   
  
or bad he did not know.  
  
Jared was the driver, a young man with sun-kissed blond hair and merry azure  
  
eyes. But now, the normally ever-present smirk on his features and the dancing spark   
  
in his eyes had been submerged by alertness. He is an incorrigible flirt that chases   
  
everything with an attractive face and curvaceous figure. Jared is a man of many talents.   
  
He's an excellent soldier, proud and alert, but unlike others, he stills views life   
  
through a playful eye. His motto is 'Life is short, make most of it,' or in other words,   
  
enjoy life while you can, and a trip once a while to the nearest brothel wouldn't hurt   
  
either.  
  
The object of their protection was inside the carriage: Scarlet Yue. Scarlet,  
  
niece of a wealthy planter, was an extremely mysterious and intriguing beauty. Her   
  
ash-blond hair trailed behind her in a cute hairstyle, and seemed almost silver in   
  
the sunlight. Her limbs were proportioned attractively, her body slender and petite.   
  
Her skin was as smooth as silk, unmarred by any kind of imperfection, and her   
  
lily-white hands, listlessly folded in her lap, had never seen a hard day of work.   
  
Those big, innocent blue eyes were full of trust, without guile or deviousness,   
  
every emotion displayed on her sweet features. She was always quick to smile,   
  
a gentle and kind-hearted young virgin who had been the recipient of many   
  
unwanted proclamations of gentlemen's undying love.  
  
But now, every nerve on each of the travelers' bodies was on high-alert.   
  
Though Scarlet had no certain clue on why she was feeling uneasy, she was almost   
  
able to touch the tension in the air. Her male guardians outside, however, felt   
  
watchful eyes on their back every step on the way, and all four men were prepared   
  
to do battle. A small bird singing was the only sound that broke the silence.   
  
Keith cursed under his breath for the interruption before going neatly back on   
  
track as he surveyed his surroundings. This time, he thought an entire string of   
  
curses that would make any sailor blush. The narrow stretch of road would be hard   
  
to fight on: no place to maneuver and to retreat. He could almost feel the weight   
  
resting on his broad shoulders. Among them, in a case of emergency, he was the one   
  
who came up with the plans as the leader, his instincts being one of his most   
  
lethal weapons. And right now, his gut feeling was telling him that something was   
  
very, very wrong – not to mention dangerous.  
  
He had no idea how correct his gut feelings were.   
  
_______________________________________________  
  
Melinda raised an eyebrow as she watched the carriage's slow progress   
  
through the deserted land. Her eagle-sharp eyes immediately memorized the guards'   
  
position, and her mind went into over-drive, drawing up battle-plans at the speed   
  
of light. She fingered the sword strapped to her belt lightly, and voiced a serious   
  
of trills that would sound like a nightingale's song to anyone else listening.   
  
She waited a few minutes, her eyes never leaving her target. Even as she felt a   
  
presence behind her, she refused to turn around.   
  
  
  
"Well, well, I never thought Lady Fortune could be this beautiful. That carriage   
  
alone must be worth half a fortune."  
  
Melinda smiled slightly at Rachel's sarcastic voice. She twirled a strand of   
  
golden hair around a finger, before turning to face her raven-haired friend, addressing  
  
her by her alias.  
  
"Really, Firefly, I thought I heard you curse Lady Fortune to the seven hells and   
  
beyond yesterday, calling her the ugliest of demons you've ever had the misfortune to lay   
  
your eyes on? Who could have thought that that fickle tramp could return into your good   
  
graces this quickly? I don't even think I could do that."  
  
Rachel smiled sardonically, her violet eyes bored. Melinda turned to the tall   
  
auburn-haired girl in their group.  
  
"Michelle, what do you say? Attack now, or attack later?"   
  
  
  
Michelle rolled her emerald orbs.  
  
  
  
"Sunshine, hon, you ALWAYS ask me this question, and my answer is ALWAYS the same."   
  
She drew a green mask over her face, revealing only her eyes, and noticed out the   
  
corner of her eyes that Rachel had done the same.   
  
"We attack now."  
  
Melinda gave a curt nod, her eyes straying back to the carriage.  
  
  
  
"Thunderbird, you're too rash, but I think I'll agree with you on this one.   
  
We know those hills like the back of our hand, but I don't believe those things"   
  
she nodded her head in the carriage's direction "have any clue that they'll be attacked.   
  
Time to use our strongest weapon: surprise!"  
  
Having securely pulled her mask over her face, Melinda prepared to launch an   
  
attack, but an arm in front her stopped her movement. Her surprised sapphire eyes   
  
turned to rest on the last person in the group, a young girl with short dark hair,   
  
which always seemed have a curious bluish tint to it, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What is it, Anna?"  
  
  
  
Anna was quickly scanning the group, and her voice was hushed and low as   
  
she spoke.  
  
"We need to be careful. Those guards, they're strong. And Melinda, you're   
  
wrong in your assumption. They know very well that they're being watched; it is   
  
visible in the way their muscles are tense. These guardians are guarding more   
  
than just valuables, I am certain they're guarding whatever is in the carriage,   
  
and it's not a non-human object. Keep your eyes on those guns, these men   
  
definitely know how to use them."  
  
Melinda turned back to the carriage, though one eye was still kept on her  
  
friends.   
  
"I think Waterlily is right. These guards will definitely put up a fight;   
  
we have to capture whatever is in the carriage. The Seagian cliffs," she indicated   
  
the twin boulders on the side of the road "use them as hide bases. We charge on my   
  
command."  
  
The four girls, masked and fully prepared, split off into groups. Anna's   
  
blue robes mingled with Melinda's gold ones as she stopped suddenly. Rachel and   
  
Michelle also halted in their tracks, wondering what the petite girl would say.   
  
Anna, however, had an unusual mischievous glint in her eyes.   
  
"Sunshine, I think they'll be really _confused _ when we attack."  
  
  
  
The rest of their group echoed Anna's smirk, and disappeared behind their   
  
assigned posts. It was time for a surprise attack.   
  
________________________  
  
Keith felt burning eyes boring into his back the whole way, and he mentally   
  
cursed when his sharp eyes found no one. Whoever it was, they were good if they   
  
could escape his detection. No one spoke, and even Scarlet had decided not to chatter   
  
constantly as was her usual manner on trips. His hands tightened on the reins of his   
  
horse as he felt Nathan suddenly stiffen.   
  
  
  
The brown-haired man spurred his chestnut stallion forward, his chocolate   
  
eyes worried beyond what Keith had ever seen. Nathan's tone was low and urgent.   
  
"Keith, I've just felt incredible power shifts in the air. And what's more,   
  
not even I was able to trace or follow the surges of energy, let alone identify them."  
  
  
  
Keith nodded absently.   
  
"There are two group we have to be careful of, so keep your eyes peeled."  
  
Nathan raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Two? I thought there was only one."  
  
  
  
"No, there are two. They call themselves The Goddesses of Vengeances, and   
  
the other group is known as The Daughters of Death. They both work for The Phantom   
  
in Black."  
  
Nathan shook his head, his long, wavy hair flying.   
  
"That's one group, Keith. Haven't you noticed that the attackers are always   
  
female, and there are always four of them? Not to mention that the two groups use the   
  
same eastern fighting techniques, roughly translated as: The Fire Dragon, The Shimmering   
  
Rhapsody, The Golden Phoenix, and the Sizzling Tiger."  
  
Keith raised an eyebrow as he motioned to Zach to watch the back also as Nathan   
  
continued talking to him, explaining to Keith the reasoning behind the attacks. The   
  
silver-haired man was a good soldier, but he did not have Nathan's extensive knowledge   
  
of techniques. Then again, Nathan spent most his time pouring over ancient manuscripts   
  
with Zach and watching the stars. Keith glared at his second-in-command, annoyed but   
  
intrigued at the same time.  
  
"What in the names of all that's holy are those?"  
  
Nathan sighed; he shouldn't have gotten into this discussion at all. But too   
  
late now, he thought as he wearily tried to summarize.   
  
"The Shimmering Rhapsody is an ancient but solid defensive technique that   
  
starts with the sword tip pointed directly outward, allowing the user to react quickly   
  
to any changes in the opponent's movements and thus prevent serious injury.   
  
The Fire Dragon is comprised of two broad swords, slightly shorter than normal   
  
ones. The starting position consists of both swords crossed over the user's chest, a   
  
technique that is extremely violent and bloody. It kills quickly, but leaves a bloody   
  
mess. The Fire Dragon is powerful in the sense that the user controls his movements   
  
separately, each sword moving completely independently of the other, making it almost   
  
impossible for the opponent to predict their slashes.   
  
The Sizzling Tiger is used with a curved saber. Whenever those bandits kill   
  
someone, the saber is used always as the last tool for slicing up the body; it's their   
  
trademark. But the Sizzling Tiger is also very dangerous, beginning with the dull side   
  
resting lightly against a hip. It is very difficult to avoid the tip when the user cuts   
  
a figure eight slash, or an upward z-slash. There is always an incredible amount of   
  
power behind each thrust and hit, for the saber has a unique quality caused by its   
  
curved form that magnifies the strength used three times.   
  
The leader of them, either known as Aphrodite or Sunshine, is the wielder of   
  
the Golden Phoenix. They say she's deadly than any cobra, and lovely than the goddess   
  
of beauty herself. She's the only one of the four girls who ever shows her face.   
  
Rumors has it that men are so blinded by her looks that they lose the will to fight,   
  
wishing only to gaze upon her. Her face is supposed to be as enchanting as the   
  
fairest flowers, skin the color of freshly poured cream, eyes as clear as the Aegean sea…"  
  
Keith was almost ready to strangle Nathan as he raved about the girl's beauty.   
  
This was not a time to be daydreaming about a female bandit, no matter how pretty she   
  
was. He was only concerned about them getting out of West Virginia as soon as possible.   
  
If it meant that he would never see this girl, then he would welcome the chance with   
  
open arms.  
  
"Cut out the poetry, Nathan! Now what can the Golden Phoenix do?"  
  
Nathan shot Keith a most wounded look, but decided against pissing his already   
  
aggravated leader royally off.   
  
"The Golden Phoenix is a sword technique that originated in the Far East. It is   
  
said that no one but the founder of it has ever truly mastered all the movements. The   
  
Golden Phoenix is extremely hard to learn. It requires agility and flexibility to an almost   
  
inhuman extent. No one has ever seen the ultimate attack of the Phoenix, and those who   
  
have fought Aphrodite are said to be plagued by nightmares of her sword slashing at them.   
  
From what I've read, the Phoenix is the deadliest of all techniques, both in attack and   
  
defense style, but it's so difficult that no one else has ever survived the training.   
  
The sword is extremely thin and slender, but harder than steel and softer than a whip.   
  
They say that she raided a ship carrying the deceased master's body to get a hold of   
  
the sword. The starting defensive stance consists of the sword held horizontally across   
  
the chest, while the attack one causes the sword to be pointed downward toward the   
  
opponent, at a 45-degree angle with the x-axis. Because of its mysterious origins,   
  
that's all that has ever been known. No one has ever survived an attack by Aphrodite   
  
unless she chose to let them live. Some whisper that she is the reincarnation of the   
  
founder of the Golden Phoenix."  
  
Keith dipped his head gently to show that he understood. This was more, much more,   
  
dangerous than he thought it would be.  
  
________________________________  
  
  
  
Melinda held herself flat against the backside of the cliff, ignoring all sounds   
  
except the pounding of the hoofs. Anna was standing casually next to her, but Melinda could   
  
tell that her senses were all on full alert. The pounding of hoofs became closer and louder,   
  
and the golden-haired girl quietly pulled a long slender chain with heart-shaped links from   
  
the inside of her left sleeve, before throwing it out in a violent motion, hitting the sand   
  
with enough force to cause a mild tornado. She smiled evilly as she heard shouts and the   
  
panicked neighing of horses, whispering softly;   
  
"Ryou Jian Feng!" (A.N. Those three words mean 'Swirling Dragon Wind' in Chinese,   
  
since this is where the Golden Phoenix originated.).   
  
She whistled shrilly, and moved gracefully to stand before the bewildered group   
  
of men (who hadn't noticed them yet), shielded momentarily by the tornado she had created,   
  
Anna following at her heels, meeting up with Rachel and Michelle to face their opponents.   
  
She smirked as she heard a loud voice bellow out,   
  
"Draw closer!"   
  
So, it seemed that their assumptions had been correct: there definitely was   
  
something valuable in the carriage.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
  
Keith was completely puzzled. Never had he ever encountered something like   
  
this in all the years he had served as a personal bodyguard and soldier. The flash   
  
of gold was the all the warning he had received when a strong gust of wind blew sand   
  
into his face. And suddenly, he felt what Nathan had felt: a strong shift of power   
  
that had gone into the sand to create this air current. But all other thoughts flew   
  
out his head as his horse tossed his head, dancing on all fours. Keith pulled the   
  
reins back harshly, trying to control his panicked animal. He violently barked out   
  
an order to his fellow soldiers:   
  
"Draw closer!"   
  
When the sand storm finally calmed down enough for him to see, he had to   
  
bite his tongue to stop a gasp from escaping: standing right before him were four w  
  
omen dressed in flowing robes with brilliant colors which covered them from head to   
  
toe. He heard Jared whisper:   
  
"The Goddesses of Vengeances!"  
  
Followed by Zach's stunned voice.  
  
"The Daughters of Death."  
  
Each girl was holding out their swords, using the positions that Nathan had   
  
described to him only moments ago. And the Golden Phoenix's attack stance was pointing   
  
right at him, the girl's blue eyes (the only features revealed by the mask) cold enough   
  
to freeze his blood. He noticed that the one using the Fire Dragon's double sword   
  
technique's eyes were fastened on Jared, or more accurately, the carriage. He prayed   
  
silently to any god listening that Scarlet would keep quiet just as a feminine voice   
  
called out,   
  
"Jared, what's going on?"   
  
and the curtains of the carriage parted to reveal Scarlet.   
  
'Shit!'  
  
________________________________-  
  
Love it, hate it? Please leave me a note whether I should continue this. And of course,   
  
I'd love to hear your opinions. Heck, I even welcome flames (as long as they can help   
  
me write better. If all you'll gonna write 'I hate this' without any reason, then please   
  
spare me and yourself the time and agony). And to all you Endy fans, I promise he'll be   
  
up very soon, probably next chapter. 


	2. Capture

Recarnation 3 Chapter 2

Capture

Hi, everyone, I was very encouraged by all your responses to the first chapter and I would just like to thank you for all your support. I'm trying a different format, so please tell me which one you like better.

To Melete: Uhm, you probably know about West Virignia more than I do, since I've never been to the East Coast. Please be gentle, I didn't mean to offend anyone, but all I know about West Virginia is from my History AP class. Besides, please remember this is set during the Civil War, so the state would appear very different that it is now.

Recarnation 3

Chapter 2

Capture

Her sudden appearance took not only the masked warriors by surprise, but also her guardians. Scarlet's eyes turned

from curiosity to astonishment, then to fear, before lightning with a peculiar flash of courage. Jared made an urgent

hushing noise, gesturing wildly with his hands to tell her to retreat into the carriage, and Scarlet, knowing Jared had her

best interests at heart, was in the process of disappearing behind the curtains when a drawling voice, presumably coming from

the girl in green, stopped her.

"What's going on, sweetheart, is that your guards refuse to give us what we want. And what we want, darling, is

precisely in your possession. If you give them to us now, then we won't have to resort to … worldly means."

Scarlet froze, turning to the four people facing her with a frown marring her lovely features.

"I don't understand," she said in bewilderment, "What could I possibly have that you would want?"

Jared shifted a bit, trying to hide Scarlet from view, while Keith stiffened, his eyes never leaving the ice-blue

eyes fastened on his. The girl in red, wielding the Fire Dragon, took a step forward, her violet orbs narrowing at Jared's

movement, and commented in a bored tone,

"You know, m'dear, you might have lived under the delusion that everyone spends their days lounging in luxury and

having slaves attending them with iced drinks and fans, but some of us have to work for a living. Now hand over everything in

your possession, and we won't have to," she waved a sword around wildly, "make lunch meat from those sumptuous guards of

yours."

The girl in blonde chuckled as the red one muttered under her breath,

"Spoiled little brat."

Keith inched his hand toward his gun, his grey eyes flashing furiously: nobody insulted Scarlet and got away with

it.

"Stop!" the sweet yet cold voice of the girl in gold sliced through the air. "If either of you move another dangerous

inch, you'll never see the light of the day again."

Her tone held neither threat nor promise; it was simply stating a fact. The girl in blue spoke for the first time,

"You should listen to Aphrodite." she indicated the one holding the sword-style of the Golden Phoenix, ignoring the

paling of the men's faces.

"It's for your own good, you know."

She strode purposefully toward the carriage, taking her eyes of Zachary's rigid frame for a split second, which

became her downfall. The strawberry-haired man had seized the moment when no one was watching him, and fired his gun at the

girl in blue. Due to the odd angle, the bullet, instead of hitting her chest, lodged itself in her leg. The girl gasped,

crying out in pain, as blood flowed down freely, staining her gown.

"Athena!"

The girl in red cried out, a violent fire flashing to life in her eyes.

"You'll pay for that!" She hissed, as Athena crumbled to the ground.

The next second, Scarlet's terrified scream pierced the air. Keith turned in time to see a golden ribbon wrapping

itself around Scarlet's slim waist, and before he could react, the ribbon was yanked, and his mistress was ten feet away,

facing him. Keith saw neither the fear nor the astonishment in her baby blues, but instead zeroed in on the sword held almost

lovingly across her slender throat.

"Don't move; if I detect even the slightest flicker of motion from any of you, I'll show this sweet little lady here

the definition of pain."

Keith turned hateful eyes upon the girl holding Scarlet from behind, the golden ribbon in her left hand and her sword

moving tantalizingly across Scarlet's skin. How he abhorred the woman who invented the Golden Phoenix, and the girl holding

it!

"Has the infamous Aphrodite sunk so low as to kidnap defenseless women?" He taunted, trying to goad her into anger to

attack him, and thus release Scarlet. She didn't fall for it, speaking to one of her companions, though her eyes were still

trained on him.

"Hera, get Athena." The girl in green obeyed without comment, moving swiftly to where Athena lay, and helped her walk

back to the other girls. Aphrodite's sapphire eyes bored into his, as they send a shiver down his spine – she had obviously

not forgotten his earlier taunt.

"Can you hear my sword singing?" She cooed in a voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on its end.

"It wants to taste your blood, it wants to cut your skin. It wants to hear you scream, it wants to slice your flesh…"

The girl in red spoke, annoyance just barely audible as a moan came from Athena.

"Enough, Aphrodite, save your gruesome songs for later! Athena is in pain!"

Hope flared in Keith's chest as Aphrodite replied in a mock hurt voice,

"Even you, Eris, would rob me of a little fun?"

He prayed desperately that Eris or whatever her name was would explode and she and Aphrodite would finish each other

off. No such luck, for Aphrodite's tone returned from its baby voice immediately.

"Hera, take Athena and go! We've a little problem here, so try to persuade the Phantom to show up with his lazy ass!"

The four men stiffened, hearing that dreaded name, neither daring to make a move nor sound, knowing that Aphrodite

would have no qualms about carrying out her earlier threat. Hera didn't have a chance to reply a male voice rang out,

"No need, Aphrodite, the Phantom got his 'lazy ass', as you so charmingly put it, out of his bed and down here quick

enough to save your sorry behinds."

A man dressed entirely in black stepped from the shadows into the light, his body shrouded by a cloak. Aphrodite

seemed nonplussed to know that the Phantom had overheard her, and choose only to remark coolly,

"I would bow if I could, my lord, but has you see, I can't."

The Phantom simply waved his hand, and said,

"Aphrodite, you know I don't require that!"

He reached for Scarlet, and she shrunk back.

"Keep your filthy hands off her!"

Jared yelled, his azure eyes on fire, forgetting the danger momentarily. For the first time, something akin to anger

flashed in Aphrodite's eyes at Jared's words, and with a quick flick of her wrist, she cut a shallow slash across Scarlet's

milk-white skin, hard enough to allow a trail of blood to flow down, but keeping the edge well away from her jugular. Scarlet

screamed. Eris scowled, wincing slightly, murmuring,

"Damn woman! A cut and she's screaming like someone lighted a fire under her!"

And louder, to no one in particular, though her eyes were still fastened on Jared,

"Can't somebody shut her up?"

Aphrodite ignored her, and spoke coldly to the frozen men,

"I did not give you permission to speak. You are immensely lucky I'm in a forgiven mood today, or you'd been drawn

and quartered already! Do you not know that you are speaking to the Phantom in Black?"

Scarlet's guardians heeded her warning, having just witnessed firsthand what they had gathered from the rumors – and

it frightened them as no other enemy ever had. None of them spoke, but a growl escaped Keith's throat as Aphrodite pushed

Scarlet toward the Phantom. The black-haired man caught her as she stumbled, before simply scooping her up, and was gone in a

swirl of his cloak. Aphrodite signaled quickly, knowing the men would have no qualms about attacking them, since Scarlet was

gone from their sight, her fate out of their hands.

"Got it."

Eris replied to her unspoken command as Hera and Athena disappeared in a flash of light, which the men quickly

recognized as the sunlight reflecting off Eris's swords as she crossed them over her head. But it gave the other two girls

the opening they needed, and both were gone when Scarlet's guardians regained their sight. Aphrodite slowly reached up,

pulling down her mask, revealing her face to the men, and Keith suddenly understood what Nathan had meant when he had

described Aphrodite. He knew, with a sudden insight, why hardened soldiers would forget all sense of loyalty and duty, and

only wish to gaze upon her face, till her sword ended their life. Her sapphire eyes were narrowed and trained, yet void of

hatred or bitterness, calm and collected, framed by long lashes. Her nose was delicate, her lips cut with a gemstone's

precision, and her eyebrows winged. Her expression was mild, but her face was set as if from marble, the skin pale and

unblemished. A few strands of golden hair had escaped her hood, resting lightly against her shoulder.

A gunshot echoed in his ears, breaking the silence, and he turned angry eyes to the offender, in rage at him who had

disturbed his adoration of the goddess in front of him, only to realize that the shot had come from his own gun. He had

balled his hands into fists to stop himself to reaching out to touch the gorgeous vision, and had accidentally pulled the

trigger. Quick as a flash, Aphrodite had raised her sword, the bullet glancing harmlessly off.

"Fire!"

Zachary's gentle voice suddenly roared, silently cursing Keith's timing. Of all the times to demonstrate any

interest in the opposite gender, it had to be when they were stuck in a life-and-death situation. Not only that, but the

recipient of that affection was none other than the most infamous and deadly girl in all of the New and Old World!

Keith half-heartily fired a few shots at Aphrodite, not really aiming to kill her. His sense of duty was strong, yet

he was blinded by Cupid's arrow as well. Zachary quickly joined him, his shots quick and accurate, and Keith wasn't sure

whether to be relieved that the strawberry-haired man's bullets kept Aphrodite from attacking his other two comrades who were

bombarding Eris, or to rip the shorter man limb from limb for daring to fire at the essence or perfection itself.

Luckily, the question was taken rudely out of his hands as he noticed that Aphrodite and Eris had both shifted

slightly, their grips on their swords changing. Now the bullets, instead of bouncing off, not injuring either party, were

being reflected and raining down on their former owners. Keith still had enough wits about to realize that if they should

they continue to fire, it was inevitable that his comrades or himself would be injured.

"Cease!"

He commanded, his voice reaching to everyone present. Jared and Zachary stopped immediately, but Nathan continued to

fire until Kunzite send him a glare that could make an entire army cower before him.

"Nathan, stop pulling that trigger, or I'll happily disconnect your hand from your arm."

The brown-haired man frowned, his mouth opening in a sign of a venomous retort.

Eris's annoyed voice sounded before he could say anything,

"If you've finished with your childish games, may we please proceed with this world's most idiotic proposal the

Phantom has asked us, much against our chagrin, to relate?"

Nathan, turning from his leader, raised his eyebrows in a highly skeptical expression of doubt,

"What could you possibly have to say that would be of any interest to us?"

Eris pretended to contemplate the question,

"I don't know, maybe the fact that your sweet little mistress happens to be in our possession?"

Jared hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously,

"Bitch!" He snarled, poison dripping in every syllable, "You dare to threaten us with Scarlet's life?"

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow,

"Scarlet, huh? Did her mother call her that when she was born, her motherly intuition already telling her that her

daughter would be a whore?"

Nathan's face tightened as Eris chuckled. They all knew what Aphrodite had meant – a scarlet woman was a girl who

opened her legs for every passing male.

"And you there, blondie, any more name-calling and we'll return Scarlet to you in pieces. Shut up, and you might see

her alive."

Keith was finding it harder by the moment to not to rush to the golden assassin, haul her over his shoulder like a

caveman, and run to the nearest tavern where he would make her scream his name until he was spent and she was hoarse. In an

almost desperate attempt to control his urge he tried to shorten their encounter.

"What's the message, then?"

Eris gave a long-suffered sigh as Aphrodite answered,

"Surrender to us, fully and unconditionally, if you wish to ever see your mistress again, or me and Eris will

eliminate you on the spot and kill Scarlet."

Keith eyes widened. Of all the proposals, this would have been the last one he would have expected. He pondered for a

moment, and realized there was no competition.

"We'll come with you."

He answered quietly, defeated, but Jared's shout of outrage rang out before he had even finished speaking.

"Hold it! What makes you think they won't kill us the second we let down our guard?"

Zachary's soft voice spoke from the other side,

"Jared, Keith is right. There's no way we can rescue Scarlet without getting killed in the process, and this way,

there might be a chance that we can save her. As for those girls, if they had wanted to slaughter us, they would have already

done so. Besides, if we return without Scarlet, it's death for us anyway."

Keith dismounted from his horse, stepping forward,

"We accept."

Aphrodite nodded,

"Throw your guns to us."

The men did as they were told, and when Eris had collected their weapons, Aphrodite pulled out the ribbon with which

she had snatched Scarlet with, and tore it into eight pieces. She tossed four to Eris, and they walked over the men, who

allowed themselves to be blindfolded and bound without a struggle. Keith was about to ask where they were to be taken when

something hard knocked against his skull and the world turned black.

How did you like it? Now, don't forget to click that little button down there. Ciao 


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